Shadowfang Keep
fr:Donjon d'Ombrecroc Worgen |boss=Archmage Arugal |type= |level=18-24 |players=5 (10) |key= |bosses= }} Shadowfang Keep is a haunted castle fort in southern Silverpine Forest, near Pyrewood Village. It is the base of operations for the evil archmage Arugal and his worgen progeny. History :During the Third War, the wizards of the Kirin Tor battled against the undead armies of the Scourge. When the wizards of Dalaran died in battle, they would rise soon after - adding their former might to the growing Scourge. Frustrated by their lack of progress (and against the advice of his peers) the Archmage, Arugal elected to summon extra-dimensional entities to bolster Dalaran's diminishing ranks. Arugal's summoning brought the ravenous worgen into the world of Azeroth. The feral wolf-men slaughtered not only the Scourge, but quickly turned on the wizards themselves. The worgen sieged the keep of the noble, Baron Silverlaine. Situated above the tiny hamlet of Pyrewood, the keep quickly fell into shadow and ruin. Driven mad with guilt, Arugal adopted the worgen as his children and retreated to the newly dubbed 'Shadowfang Keep'. It's said he still resides there, protected by his massive pet, Fenrus - and haunted by the vengeful ghost of Baron Silverlaine. Pyrewood Village is shadowed to the north by Shadowfang Keep, once a bastion of Alliance power but now the dark residence of a mad former mage of the Kirin Tor, named Arugal. The worgen that stalk the Keep, as well as the cursed villagers of Pyrewood are the doings of this madman. During the Third War, Arugal made these Worgen as allies but they could not be controlled and turned on him and the other soldiers. He went mad after this and now accepts them as his "children." His worgen run rampant throughout much of the forest. During the events of World of Warcraft, agents of the Banshee Queen Sylvanas Windrunner were dispatched to both solve the mystery of the enigmatic worgen and ultimately terminate the source of the creatures infestation in Silverpine. Eventually they were able to discover that the mad archmage, Arugal, was behind the worgen's presence, and the Forsaken command ordered him slain. Overview SFK is the first vaguely challenging instance that players are likely to encounter. In addition to the volume of mobs present, several of the mobs here cast various curses, nearly every type of Worgen has some sort of special ability (active or passive) that affects a group's ability to deal with them, and the undead Humans make use of Silence, which means that a tank can be caught without healing in some fights if the healer(s) get hit with it. Another major issue with this instance is the tendency of players levelling alts to underestimate the level of difficulty present here, and who thus believe that the mobs here can simply be chain pulled without regard to the consequences. A well-defined pull order is still highly desirable, (if marks are not actually used) as is an appropriate level of attention and caution. Recklessness here will result in repeated wipes, and player frustration. Though the 'Holy Trinity' of Warrior + Priest + Mage is a thing of the past these days, necessary in a group here is solid tanking, decent to good healing, reasonably non-idiotic pulling, and a little skilled use of CC won't hurt. Mages are definitely useful to remove debuffs, but not necessary, depending on the skill, level and class makeup of the rest of the group. Melee dps and tanks will have a hard time against Arugal, the end boss - since he will teleport around a lot, but this can be dealt with by Counterspell, potions, cooldown skills, proper teamwork and/or ranged dps. Paladins tanking this instance may find themselves under pressure to deal with mobs that cast Silence, but so will healers. A backup tank and/or a backup healer can help in a pinch, but with skill, the appropriate levels, and decent class makeup, any druid, warrior or paladin can main tank this instance. Good communication is always useful, and voice communication as always will give your group a distinct advantage. Above all, skilled players who know how to maximize their own benefit to the group irrespective of the skill or experience of the rest of the group - are what will make the difference here. For the level, the loot here is highly desirable, with a few different items that can sell well via the twink market. Several bind on pickup blue items are also to be found here, primarily for Mages and Warriors in particular. Although the level is still low enough that cash isn't hugely abundant, there is still some silver dropped at least. Encounters * End Boss: Archmage Arugal 21+ * Mini Bosses: **Rethilgore 20+ **Razorclaw the Butcher 20+ **Odo the Blindwatcher 21+ **Baron Silverlaine 20+ **Commander Springvale 20+ **Fenrus the Devourer 21+ **Wolf Master Nandos 21+ *Scourge Invasion Only **Sever 25+ Dungeon Denizens Shadowfang Worgen *Shadowfang Whitescalp: casts Frost Armor. Immune to any Ice spell. *Shadowfang Moonwalker: casts Anti-Magic Shield (Caster becomes immune to all magical damage for 20 sec.) *Shadowfang Darksoul: casts Shadow Word: Pain and Befuddlement (Reduces an enemy's casting speed by 50% for 15 sec.) Immune to any Shadow spell. *Shadowfang Glutton: casts Blood Tap (Drains health from an enemy, healing up to two times the amount drained.) *Shadowfang Ragetooth: casts Wild Rage (Increases the caster's physical damage dealt by up to 25.) *Shadowfang Wolfguard: Accompanied with Wolfguard Worgs *Son of Arugal: casts Arugal's Gift (Deals 576-625 shadow damage to an enemy every 1 min for 5 mins.) Worg *Bleak Worg: casts Wavering Will (Increases the time between an enemy's attacks speed by 25%, slows its casting speed by 20%, and slows its movement by 20%. Lasts 1 min.) *Wolfguard Worg: *Slavering Worg: *Lupine Horror: casts Summon Lupine Delusions (Summons 2 Lupine Delusions to aid the caster in battle for 4 min.) *Lupine Delusions (summoned unit): Just an irritant, can be killed in one blow. Tormented Souls *Haunted Servitor: casts Haunting Spirits (Curses an enemy for 5 min., causing it to be periodically haunted by malevolent ghosts.) Really annoying curse, need to be cleansed immediately. *Wailing Guardsman: casts Screams of the Past (AoE Silence spell. Lasts 5 seconds.) *Tormented Officer: casts Forsaken Skills (Curses an enemy for 5 min., periodically reducing one of its skills by 100.) *Fel Steed: casts Fel Stomp (Inflicts normal damage plus 20 to nearby enemies, stunning them for 3 sec. and increasing the Physical damage they take by 10.) *Shadow Charger: casts Charge Geography Walk Throughs and Maps *Map from World of War. Sub Regions None Quest guide Loot Resources * Medium Leather * Light Leather Notes, Tips, & Additional Info * Enemy Level Range: 18-21 * End Boss: Archmage Arugal 21+ * Bring a Mage when fighting Arugal. Arugal casts a spell that turns you into his minion and forces you to attack your party members. Mages can Counterspell this, saving your group the extra damage from that attack. '' (Needs verification- Arugal's Release your Rage attack doesn't seem to have a castbar and thus may be dispellable but not counterable.)'' * Players will farm SFK for the two level 19 BoE rare weapons – and – which sell for upwards of 100 gold for twink PvP characters. will sell for about 1.000 gold and will sell from about 500-800 gold. ** Due to the mob level reduction in Shadowfang Keep to <=20, and are rarely looted anymore. * Must be at least level 14 to enter the instance. * The legacy of Arugal lives on in World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. Arugal has been returned from death to do the bidding of the Lich King, who has discovered Arugal's activities with the worgen of Silverpine. Arugal's spirit resides at Shadowfang Tower, on an island off the coast of the Grizzly Hills. External links Category:Forts Category:Ruins Category:Instances Category:Worgen Category:Shadowfang Keep